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THE NAPY IN THE PENINSULAR CAMPAIGN .

IN THE TURRET OF TIIE ** MONITOR.”

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“ Wooden vessels could not have attacked the batteries at Yorktown and Gloucester with anydegree of success. The forts at Yorktown were situated too high, were beyond the reach ofnaval guns, and I understand that General McClellan never expected any attack to he made on them bythe navyP

At McClellan ’s request Goldsborougli sent 7 gun-boats under CommanderWilliam Smith into the York River, the Marblehead on the 4th of April,followed the next day by the Wachusett , Penobscot , and Currituck, and laterby the Sebago, Corwin , and Chocura. The Maratanza afterward took theplace of the Penobscot. The rest of the fleet, including the Monitor , remainedto watch the Merrimac. On the 1st of May, during an attack made on theleft flank of the army, the fleet shelled the enemy’s artillery, posted on a hillto the left, and forced it to retire. On the 5th, the day following the evac-uation of Yorktown, the fleet moved up to a position off the town, and areconnoissance made by the Chocura and Corwin showed that the river wasopen as far as West Point. On the 6th, Commander Smith moved the gun-boats up to that place, escorting the transports carrying General Franklin’sdivision. On the 7th, before the landing of the troops was completed, asharp attack was made by the enemy and repulsed, the gun-boats renderingefficient assistance. On the 17th, the Sebago and Currituck passed up thePamunkey, which resulted in the destruction of the enemy’s store-vessels.When the Wachusett was withdrawn to the James, five boats remained to pro-tect McClellan ’s base, under the command of Lieutenant Alexander Murray.

During the siege of Yorktown the presence of the Merrimac had, of course,